Nowadays,
it is a trendamong youngsters, to keep updating their whatsappstatus to reflect
their moods or to just express what they are feeling. A few days back, my son
had updates his whatsapp status as “Why be a king when you can be God”. When I
saw it, at first sight I got a feel that it was an arrogant statement to make.
When I asked him, he said it is just a line from an English pop song and there
was nothingin particular about him of having it as his whatsapp status. As I
was contemplating the sentence, I could realise that there was a very strong
message behind the words.It is quite common for someone to aspire to be a king,
but to aspire to be God is something way beyond expectation. It is like asking,
why do we have to settle for something small, when you can become something
higher?
If
we take a closer look at people and their aspirations, we can predominantly
classify them into two types: One type of people are those who are material oriented,
and the other type are those who are spiritual oriented.
The
material oriented people are the ones who aspire to be KINGS. They are
generally self-oriented. They crave for leadership positions, social
recognition and public admiration. They achieve this by striving hard to be the
No.1 in their chosen field.For them their dreams, their goals and their
achievements are important, than anything else. In the process of achieving
their goal, they hurt many people but to them that is a part of the game. To
them winning is everything.We find this type of people in every field, be it
business, politics, sports, cinema or any other. We hear phrases such as “King
of Cricket”, “King of Bollywood” so on and so forth. The pomp and glory of
being a Supremo, gives these type of people immense pride and delight. A
typical example, is Lion which is called the King of the jungle.It holds its
status as a King, not only by its might but also by being ruthless when coming
to deal with an opponent. There is no empathy. Kill or be killed is the law of
the jungle. In their world MIGHT IS RIGHT.
Then
there is the other type of people, who are spiritual oriented. These type of
people are notself-oriented, whereas they are people oriented. They work hard
to make others happy. They do not bother much about their own welfare, whereas
they are always concerned about the welfare of those around them. They are not
selfish, jealous, greedy or egoistic. Their love energy flows in the form of
selfless service and touches everyone they come across.A typical example is the
Cow, which is considered a holy animal. The cow is selfless in service by its
nature. They plough the fields, they pull carts, they give milk not only to
their calf but also to human beings. They work for the benefit of others. In
their world, RIGHT IS MIGHT.
History
has many stories of people who have transcended from KINGS to SAINTS, because
at some point of time they found a divine calling which was more appealing than
their worldly pleasures.
We
have heard the story of Lord Buddha. He was born as a prince and lived a very
luxurious life. He indulged in all the worldly pleasures and enjoyed the life
of a King. However at some point of
time, as he got exposed to the realities of life he understood the futility of
being a King and went in search of the eternal truth and became a Saint, and
ultimately became a God.
The
story of King Ashoka, also reveals of how he transformed from a ruthless
warrior to a noble ruler, after seeing the bloodshed and tears of innocent
people in the war of Kalinga. He realised the fallacy of war and chose to
transform and govern his kingdom based on the principles of dharma. It is this
period that is called as Golden era in Indian History. Even today,Ashoka is
remembered for his good works, that he did in the later part of his life.
Thelyrics
of a Tamil song, goes like this: “Manidhanenbavandheivamaagalam”, which means
Man has the inherent capacity to become God. Does it mean, anyone can be God?
Perhaps, YES, if we are willing to take the hard path of righteousness. It is
difficult, but not impossible. It is
just a matter of choice.It is not a position to aspire for but just a state of
mind to attain.
Think
it over – “Why be a King, when you can be God.”
Happy Reading,
D. Senthil Kannan
Article Dated Jun 2014
